Pillow block



Dec. 2, 1952 R, D .3E/QTY, JR 2,620,244

PILLOW BLOCK Filed June 8, 1950 INVENTOR. Aaewr ewrry?.

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Patented Dec. 2, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PILLOW BLOCK Robert D. Beatty, Jr., Shaker Heights, Ohio, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to The Fafnir Bearing Company, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application June 8, 1950, Serial No. 166,830

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to pillow blocks for shaft bearings and, as its principal object, provides an improved pillow block of a two-piece construction which can be economically produced and readily assembled.

Another object of lthis invention is to provide an improved pillow block of a two-piece construction adapted for the use of a pref-abricated antifriction bearing therein and in which the antifriction bearing can be easily assembled in place and yadjusted for proper alignment and will be securely clamped and held when ythe adjustment has been made.

A further object is to provide 'an improved pillow block comprising complemental bearing cap and bearing base members adapted to grip therebetween the outer race of an antifriction bearing unit and in which the bearing cap has recesses in the underside ythereof and the bearing base has lugs engageable in such recesses.

Still another object is to provide. an improved pillow block of the character just mentioned in which the bearing cap has a pocket therein adapted to receive the antifriction bearing and the bearing base has a block portion, eng'ageable in the pocket for cooperation with the bearing cap in gripping the outer race of the antifriction bearing therebetween, and in which the lugs of the bearing base have a thickness somewhat greater than the depth of the recesses of the bearing cap such that the lugs will be clamped between Ithe cap member `and the support on which the pillow block is mounted.

The invention can be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly set out in the claims hereof.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing a pillow block embodying the present invention and having a prefabricated antifriction bearing mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is -a bottom plan view of the pillow block;

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 4 is `a vertical section taken through ythe pillow block on section line 4 4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is la top plan view of the bearing base member showing the same in det-ached relation.

As one practical embodiment of the present invention the drawing shows a pillow block I adapted to be mounted on a support such as the plate Il and comprising complemental bearing cap and bearing base members I2 land I3. The pillow block I0 is of the kind which forms amount for `a shaft bearing I4 of the antifriction type.

The cap member I2 comprises an intermediate yoke portion I5 having a pocket IS therein `acl-apted to receive ythe antifriction bearing I4 and larm portions Il and I3 extending laterally in opposite directions and constituting integral extensions of the ends of the yoke portion I5. The arm portions il and I8 have iiat faces I'Ia and I 8a on lthe undersides thereof which are engageable with the support II when the pillow block is mounted thereon. The -arms I'I and IB also have openings I9 extending therethrough and which accommodate suitable screws 20 for attaching the pillow block to the support II.

For an important purpose which will presently appear, the `arms I1 and I8 are provided with recesses 2! and 22 extending thereinto from the lower faces I'Ia and Ia thereof. The recesses 2| and 22 have their adjacent ends in open communication with =the bearing receiving pocket I6 of the intermediate yoke portion I5. As shown in Fig. 2 the recesses 2| and 22 'are narrower in width than the arms Il and I8 such that their side faces lie inwardly from the side faces of these arms.

The base member I3 extends in bridging relation across the opening of the pocket IIY of the cap member I2 and comprises `an intermediate block portion 23 which has a snug lit in the open end of the pocket and oppositely extending lugs 24 'and 25 formed integral with and projecting from the block portion 23 and which are engageable in the recesses 2I and 22 of the arms I'I and I8 of the cap member, The lugs 24 'and 25 'are of a width only slightly less than the width of the recesses 2l and 22, such that these lugs will be snugly received therein and the sides of the recesses will hold the base member I3 in properly aligned relation to the cap member I2. The lugs 24 and 25 are of a thickness which is slightly greater than the depth of the recesses 2I and 22 such `that when the cap and base members are assembled in the relation shown in Fig. l and the pillow block is tightened `against the support II by the screws 20, the lugsv will be clamped between the arms I'I, I8 and the surface of the support.

The block portion 23 of the base member I3 is provided in the ytop thereof with a transversely concave arcuate groove defined by the transversely concave arcuate wall 26. The pocket I6 of the cap member I2I is also provided around the inside thereof with a transversely concave arcuate groove dened by a transversely concave and has a transverse convex curvature matching y stood, of course, that the invention should not be regarded as being limited correspondingly in scope since it is intended to yinclude all changes and modifications coming within the terms of the claims hereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A pillow block comprising, a pair of complemental members one being a substantially rigid bearing cap in the form of a die casting and the other being a substantially rigid bearing base also in the form of a die casting, said bearing i cap comprising an intermediate yoke portion the transverse concave curvature of this seat lsuch that when the antifriction bearing-is received between the cap and base members it will be adjustably movable by rocking of the outer race 29 in the concave annular seat to permit alignment of the shaft member 32 which extends through and is supported by the inner race 3B. When such adjustment of the antifriction bearing in the concave annular seat has been made, the connecting screws 29 are tightened to draw the cap member against the support II thereby causing the cap and base members to apply a tight clamping action against the outer race 29 by which the antifriction bearing will be securely held in the desired adjusted relation in the pillow block Iii.

As shown in Figs. l and 4, the portions of the cap member I2 which dene the concave arcuate wall 2T of the bearing receiving pocket I6 include a pair of laterally spaced ridges 33 and 34 which follow the contour of the yoke portion I5. These ridges terminate in the pocket at a point inwardly of the bottom faces I'Ia and ISU, of the arms I'I and I8 so as to provide shoulders 33a and 31M facing outwardly of the pocket. When the block portion 23 of the base member I3 is assembled in the outer end of the pocket I6 the top of the block portion comes into substantially meeting engagement with the shoulders 33 and 34 which act as stops to prevent the block portion from applying an excessive pinching force to the outer race 29.

A pillow block comprising the above described complemental cap and base members I2 and I3 can be very economically produced because these cap and base members are of such simple form that they can be readily manufactured as die castings which will be very accurate as to size and shape and will require substantially no machine operations thereon. It will also be seen that the pillow block provided by this invention can be very quickly and easily installed and that the insertion of the prefabricated antifriction bearing I4 is a very simple matter because it amounts only to the dropping of the bearing into the pocket of the cap member before the base member is assembled into bridging relation to the pocket. When the pillow block I with the antifriction bearing therein is applied to the support I I and the connecting screws are partially tightened, the antifriction bearing will be rockable in the annular seat formed by the concave grooves of the cap and base members for properly aligning the bearing with respect to the axis of the shaft or other member to be supported. When this adjustment has been completed, the tightening of the connecting screws completes the assembly operation and results in the antifriction bearing being gripped and securely held in the adjusted position between the cap and base members of the pillow block.

Although the improved pillow block of this invention has been illustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed extent it will be underhaving a bearing pocket therein and oppositely extending arms formed as integral lateral extensions of the ends of said yoke portion and adapted for connection with a Support for mounting the pillow block thereon, said yoke portion having a pair of opposed flat internal vertical locating surfaces thereon dening a lower entrance portion into said bearing pocket, said arms having recesses in the underside thereof which communicate with said bearing pocket, said bearing base extending in bridging relation across said bearing pocket and comprising a flatsided block portion extending into and substantially lling said lower entrance portion of said pocket and lugs projecting from said block portion and seating in the recesses of said arms.

2. A pillow block comprising, a pair of complemental members one being a substantially rigid bearing cap in the form of a die casting and the other being a substantially rigid bearing base also in the form of a die casting, said bearing cap comprising an intermediate yoke portion having a bearing pocket therein and oppositely extending arms formed as integral lateral extensions of the ends of said yoke portion and adapted for connection with a support for mounting the pillow block thereon, said yoke portion having a pair of opposed dat internal vertical locating surfaces thereon defining a lower entrance portion into said bearing pocket, said arms having recesses in the underside thereof which communicate with said bearing pocket and which recesses are of narrower width than said arms such that depending portions of said arms form other locating surfaces along the side edges of said recesses, said bearing case extending in bridging relation across said bearing pocket and comprising a block portion extending into and substantially filling said entrance portion of said pocket and lugs projecting from said block portion and seating in the recesses of said arms, the block portion of said bearing base having a pair of at sides thereon engaging said locating surfaces for positioning said bearing base relative to said bearing cap in one lateral direction and said lugs having side edges engaging said other locating Surfaces for positioning said bearing base relative to said bearing cap in another lateral direction substantially normal to the rst mentioned lateral direction.

3. In a pillow block, a bearing cap comprising an intermediate yoke portion having a bearing pocket therein and arm portions extending outwardly from said yoke portion and adapted for attachment to a support for mounting the pillow block thereon, said yoke portion having a transversely concave arcuate groove therein dening a portion of the wall of said pocket and also having a pair of shoulders thereon adjacent the ends of said groove and facing outwardly of the pocket, said arm portions having recesses extending thereinto from the underside thereof and communicating with said pocket, and a bearing base extending in bridging relation across said pocket and comprising a block portion projecting into said pocket substantially to said shoulders and having therein a transversely concave arcuate groove, said bearing base also having lugs projecting from said block portion and seating in the recesses of said arm portions, the arcuate grooves of said yoke portion and said block portion forming a seat for the outer race of an antifriction bearing.

4. In a bearing of the pillow block type, a support, a bearing cap comprising a substantially rigid die casting including an intermediate yoke portion having a pocket therein and mounting arms projecting from said yoke portion and engageable with said support, said arms having recesses extending thereinto from the support-engaging side thereof and communicating with said pocket, a bearing base extending in bridging relation across said pocket and comprising a substantially rigid die casting including a block portion engaging in and substantially filling the entrance portion of said pocket and lugs projecting from said block portion and seating in said recesses, said yoke portion having a pair of opposed nat internal vertical locating surfaces thereon defining a lower entrance portion for said pocket, said recesses being of narrower width than said arms such that depending portions of said arms form other locating surfaces along the side edges of said recesses, the block portion of said bearing base having a pair of at sides thereon engaging the rst mentioned locating surfaces for positioning said bearing cap in one lateral direction and said lugs having side edges engaging said other locating surfaces for positioning said bearing base relative to said bearing cap in another lateral direction substantially normal to the first mentioned lateral direction, an antifriction bearing in said pocket and having an outer race gripped between said yoke portion and said block portion, and attaching means holding said arms and said lugs in a clamped engagement against said support, said outer race having an outer annular periphery of a convex transverse curvature and said yoke and block portions having cornplemental arcuate grooves therein of a concave transverse curvature forming an annular seat in which said outer race is received and gripped and is substantially universally adjustably shiftable upon slackening of said attaching means.

ROBERT D. BEATTY, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,367,519 Sharpe Feb. 1, 1921 2,227,617 Yardley Jan. 7, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,028 Great Britain 1905 25,874 Great Britain 1908 463,065 Germany July 21, 1928 

